The Very Hungry Caterpillar

First shown on a Saturday night, by the light of the moon, an egg lies on a leaf. When the egg hatches early Sunday morning, the newly born insect is revealed as a caterpillar. The caterpillar calls himself as "the Very Hungry Caterpillar". By the name of the insect, he apparently loves to eat. Soon, he begins to look for something to eat. He eats through increasing quantities of fruit for the following five days (Monday through Friday). First it starts with one apple on Monday, then two pears on Tuesday, then three plums on Wednesday, four strawberries on Thursday, and five oranges on Friday. One by one, the days repeat the line, "But he was still hungry". On Saturday, he proceeds to eat the following: a slice of chocolate cake, an ice-cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a slice of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake, and a slice of watermelon. That night he gets a stomachache from overeating.

The next day (Sunday again) the very hungry caterpillar tries again and begins by eating one green leaf, and afterwards feels much better. The next day the caterpillar is no longer hungry, and is no longer little. He has grown in size (being a big, fat, caterpillar). The now-big caterpillar spins a chrysalis[lower-alpha 1] around himself. Once inside, he stays inside for at least two weeks. After two weeks, the caterpillar nibbles a hole in the chrysalis and pushes his way out. Finally, he develops into a butterfly with large, gorgeous, multi-colored wings. Now a butterfly, the butterfly cycle starts again. The story follows a caterpillar's actual life cycle: first eating leaves and growing into a big and fat caterpillar, then spinning a chrysalis, metamorphosing into a butterfly.

In a sense the book was inspired by a hole punch: "One day I was punching holes with a hole puncher into a stack of paper, and I thought of a bookworm and so I created a story called A Week with Willi the Worm."[6] Carle was familiar with "differently shaped pages" from books that he read as a child in Germany.[7]

A Week with Willi the Worm featured a bookworm named Willi. But Carle's editor Ann Beneduce advised that a green worm would not make a likable protagonist.[7][8] "Then my editor suggested a caterpillar instead and I said 'Butterfly!' That's how it began," Carle recalls.[6]

The differently shaped pages with holes representing the caterpillar's trail through foodstuffs were a challenge. No US printer could do the work economically but Beneduce found one in Japan.[7]

The book has won numerous awards, including an American Institute of Graphic Arts Award in 1970, the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France in 1972, and the Nakamori Reader's Prize in Japan in 1975.[2]

The New York Times cited it as one of the "Ten Best Picture Books of the Year" in 1969. The book placed at number 199 in the Big Read, a 2003 poll conducted by the BBC to determine the United Kingdom's best loved books. It was one of the few picture books to place on the list.[9] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[10] Five years later, School Library Journal sponsored a survey of readers which identified The Very Hungry Caterpillar as the number two children's picture book, behind only Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.[5][7]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar was number ten on the list of "Top Check Outs OF ALL TIME" by the New York Public Library.[11]

The book has been translated into at least 40 languages,[12] including Dutch, French,[13] Spanish,[14] German,[15] Japanese,[16] Italian,[17] Portuguese, Swedish,[18] Russian,[19] and Hebrew.[20] It has been used by elementary school teachers, librarians, and parents as a teaching aid, with activities developed which use the book.[21][22]

It was used by former first lady Barbara Bush as part of her campaign to promote literacy.[23]

The book received renewed attention when in 1999, Pizza Hut asked 50 U.S. governors to name their favorite books from childhood. Presidential candidate George W. Bush "opted for the Caterpillar. It didn't take long for gleeful commentators to point out that when the book was published, Bush was nearly 23."[4]

In 2009, Google celebrated the book's 40th anniversary by rendering the logo on its main search page in the style used in the book.[6][24]

In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics sent out special copies of the book, with associated learning tools, to health providers, to promote healthy eating in the U.S.[25]

There have been numerous different editions of the book,[30] with various additional features, as well as games incorporating copies of the book. Examples include a pop-up version[31] and a book/card game combination from University Games.[32] Other toys and educational resources based upon or featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar are also plentiful.[33]

An educational video game based on the book, titled The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs, was released by CYBIRD Co. Ltd. for WiiWare on September 20, 2010.[34]

• "Caterpillar Exchange" teacher's resource page at Carle website
• The World of Eric Carle at IMDb